Chinese Government provides EUR 2 million grant for National Assembly Building Construction Project

On February 10, 2007, the Government of Seychelles and the Chinese Government signed a series of five agreements, one of which was an EUR 2 million grant agreement for the National Assembly Building Construction Project. These agreements were signed between Seychelles Minister for Industries, Investment and Technology Jacquelin Dugasse and China's Minister for Commerce Bo Xilai. The source of grant funding was China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM). This project involved construction of a new National Assembly building on Ile du Port. China Shenyang International Economic & Technical Cooperation Co., Ltd. (CSYIC) was the contractor responsible for implementation. A foundation stone laying ceremony took place in March 2008 and Chinese Ambassador to Seychelles Geng Wenbing, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Partick Herminie, Vice President Joseph Belmont, and a number of cabinet ministers were all present. However, several Members of Parliament from the Seychelles National Party boycotted the laying of the first stone of the new building. Construction began on August 12, 2008 and ended on November 12, 2009. An official inauguration ceremony was held on December 4, 2009. It was also boycotted by opposition party members of the Seychelles legislature (see 'SEYCHELLES OPPOSITION BOYCOTTS OPENING OF CHINESE-BUILT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING’).

Additional details

The Chinese project title is 议会大楼项目 or 援塞舌尔议会大厦项目 or 议会大楼项目. Between 1993 and 2009, the National Assembly met in the National Library building.

Number of official sources

4

Number of unofficial sources

8